


Between Sunshine and Family Warmth

by Walls_Could_Talk



Category: DreamSMP, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: AYYY MORE FOUND FAMILY, All jokes here folks, Bullying, Dadza, Dream Sequences, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Foster Care, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I see you're not over the 16th-, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, It's a slow start but I promise it'll get better!, Minor Asthma Attacks, Minor Injuries, Panic Attacks, Protective Philza Minecraft, Rated T for swearing, SHIPPERS PLEASE DNI WITH THIS FIC!!!, Second-Hand Smoke Inhalation, Self Confidence Issues, Sleepy Bois Inc. - Freeform, So are STDs and the Bubonic Plague-, Technoblade has Anxiety, TommyInnit Swears (Video Blogging RPF), Trust Issues, Underage Drinking is mentioned as a joke nobody is drinking though, Wilbur Soot Needs a Hug, Wilbur Soot has Asthma, Will update tags, cigarette burns, good cause NEITHER AM I, healthy parenting, implied/referenced child abandonment, inhalers, pog through the pain, techno and dream are rivals/frenimes, techno fences!!, technoblade needs a hug, wilbur knows damn well-
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:00:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27667150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Walls_Could_Talk/pseuds/Walls_Could_Talk
Summary: Life isn't easy. It'll never get easy and will continue to rise and rise and rise until you almost can't breathe anymore. When you're taught that everything is fragile and that walking on eggshells will only get you nowhere, it means nothing. Your heart beats in your chest, tightening around what you hope to be family warmth, and yet all you have is the same inky black darkness staring into your soul. So you keep searching for something, anything to keep you warm from the jagged darkness that surrounds you, and all you find is nothing. Hope is gone, lost even.What would happen if you were given that chance of family warmth once more?____________________________orPhil "accidentally" keeps getting attached to the kids he fosters and keeps "accidentally" adopting them.
Relationships: Dave | Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Dave | Technoblade & Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot, Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Jschlatt & Wilbur Soot, Niki | Nihachu & Wilbur Soot, No Romantic Relationship(s), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, TommyInnit & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Comments: 249
Kudos: 1895





	1. The Start of Something New

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually my first work on this site! :) I'm a big sucker for found family and decided to write my own starring sbi!

> _Phil glanced down a long, seemingly never-ending corridor. Light very gently peaking out against the darkened wooden floors.  
>  His eyes gently focusing only to unfocus on the pitch-blackness in front of him, the sound of soft wind chimes echoing in the distance._
> 
> _This place didn't look at all familiar. Not at first glance nor the second one if he were to be entirely honest.  
>  Yet he found himself moving forward further into the corridor, the floorboards creaking against every step he took._
> 
> _He stilled very suddenly, a sense of warmth flooding his senses.  
>  Gentle laughter could be overheard.  
>  More specifically, children's laughter._
> 
> _Children's laughter?_  
>  _Phil continued down the long hallway with his steps turning more into long strides. The warmth in his chest only growing as he soon began running.  
>  He ran and he ran and he could almost make out the outline of someone until_

Phil's body shot straight upright at the loud and obnoxious beeping of the alarm clock next to him. His back cracking a bit in protest as his dark blue eyes attempted to adjust to the sudden shift in lighting. He sighed deeply and quickly turned to turn off his clock that was practically screaming at him at that point. 

It was that same dream again.

It had been happening for quite a while now. When did it start? Well, Phil couldn't put an exact timeframe on it. He could only, possibly, connect it to him finishing his training in officially getting his license for fostering. Yet that was well over 5 months ago and for him to be having that same dream over and over again was a bit concerning.

Rolling his shoulders back, he slowly got out of the comfort of his own bed and crept down his old wooden stairs. He was always the type to wake up early when the sun would barely peak above the horizon causing a light pink morning haze to be seen behind the curtains of the living room. Passing by the doorframe that leads directly into the kitchen, he took out a pan and turned on the stove, a soft humming lightly starting to form as he semi-graciously swayed around the room cooking up some eggs. Quickly grabbing a plate, he quietly ate, the stilled quiet only being interrupted by the delicate tweets of the birds outside.

Thinking to himself, he shuffled outside only to be met with the chilling morning air that would grasp onto his skin. White puffs of air could be seen every time he took a breath with chills ever so slightly shaking him a bit. He really did need to head out to the farm today, maybe even into town to pick up some extra chicken feed. When exactly was the last time he went into town? He chuckled lightly to himself and shook his head. Well, he never really had a reason to be going into town that often, or at least not much anymore ever since he started officially working at home. Still, it was nice to just wander around and see what he could find.

It was very sudden of course when the tranquility was interrupted by the sound of ringing coming back from inside.

Phil looked up at the spring sky and knitted his eyebrows in concern, who on earth would be calling this early in the morning?

His hand drifted away from the front doorframe, his steps leading him into the cozy living room. There laid directly on the coffee table above a stack of journals, laid his phone that was buzzing and ringing very loudly. He should've looked at the caller ID first, he knew that would've been helpful to find out who it was, yet he simply tapped the green answer button and held the phone up to his ear.

"Hello?" He said, voice still groggy due to the morning rise. He looked away from the phone for a split second to clear his throat as to not sound as tired as he was currently.

"Yes, is this Phil Watson?" The voice on the other end spoke, her tone very quiet and almost equally tired if not strung up a bit in a professional manner.

"Um, Yes, who is this?" Phil asked, not at all recognizing the voice on the line.

"This is Mrs. Roca with the Angel's of Grace Foster Care service. I was appointed to call you through the system to let you know that we currently have a 13-year-old boy in current need of a placement home. We were wondering if you'd be possibly interested in taking him in?"

Phil felt his voice catch in his throat, how she said it so nonchalantly had certainly had a helping hand in that. Oh. Oh god, well wasn't that quick? He didn't even have time to even think about that, did he? Shit, he hadn't thought this far. All that time training and getting involved with the community for 2 straight years and yet he found himself stuck on his words. Was he even ready for that type of responsibility?

"Hello? Sir? Mr. Watson?"

Quickly snapping out of his thoughts he shuddered a breath and smiled very faintly. "Sorry. I was a bit distracted," He took one last moment before speaking again, this time his tone much more hopeful,

"Yes. I'd love to. What time would you like me to come down there?"


	2. Clouded Vision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tinted tired eyes and a battered yellow suitcase.

It was earlier in the mid-afternoon when Phil took a drive downtown. The sky fairly clear without a cloud in sight and the autumn leaves trailing the ground with hues of orange and red.

He'd lightly tap at the steering wheel, eyes glued to the road in front of him until his line of sight caught that old yet meek building where he had first shown interest in fostering. The lettering across the building was rather old and faded, certainly showing it's years with how the paint was chipped off. Pulling into the parking lot, he let the music from the radio fade into the background. He once again let himself walk into the facility and towards the reception area.

It took a good 10 minutes for everything to be sorted out, paperwork was a big pain in the ass, for the most part, not to mention how slowly time crept forward as if his nerves weren’t already on edge enough. 

With his heart racing to catch up with his thoughts, He watched the doors open to reveal one of the caretakers of the facility and a young boy walking cautiously behind her.  
He was rather tall for a 13-year-old, Phil noted to himself, yet also fairly thin and pale. He wore a light pink hoodie with the bottom sleeves weathered with holes and frayed at the edges with his brown shoulder-length hair hiding his face a bit.

“Mr. Watson! It’s a pleasure to finally be meeting with you.” The caretaker warmly started.

“Of course, the pleasures all mine,” Phil responded politely, his eyes flickering to the boy who kept his head down with his hand gripping on tightly to a battered yellow suitcase.

“This is Techno. Techno can you say hello?” She asked, the silence almost deafening as it drone on for a bit too long before,

“Hi.” Techno would simply state, his head rising just a bit to see his extremely tired dark brown eyes glued to whatever else besides the conversation.

“Oh, well, I guess we can discuss more in the lobby. Let’s talk shall we?”

And so they did. They talked about Techno’s files, mainly about his interests and the certain _issues_ he’s had with previous foster families. Phil felt that part to be a bit too intrusive, especially with Techno in the room listening to everything. If anything it felt like they were just rubbing salt into a wound. So Phil tried to redirect that conversation as quickly as he could. The discussion lasted for a good half-hour with Techno staying silent for the most part or would only give out one to two-word replies if he could.

With the last closing statements and Phil just noting down everything that had been said in the back of his mind, they stood up and walked back towards the front desk.

“That will be all for now Mr. Watson, you’ll be sent the rest of Techno’s information through email and if you have any questions or concerns you can call us at any time from 12:00 am through 10:00 pm.” The caretaker stated one last time before giving Phil an affirming handshake. “Have a safe trip and don’t cause too much trouble, okay Techno?”

Techno hummed in response before rolling his suitcase over in Phil’s direction, yet was very tense and hesitant in his motions as they walked out the door.

“I’ll be sure to do that, Thank you.”

Phil walked out the door and held the door open for Techno before starting to walk back over to his car, leading the young brunette and helping him load his suitcase into the back trunk. As he walked over to his side of the car, he watched as the other stood for a moment in thought before climbing into the backseat rather slowly and unsurely. It was only then that Phil took note of how terrified Techno looked, even when he was trying to put on a facade of disinterest and boredom. 

Phil had never been in a situation like this before, his mind racing for something to say or do to reassure Techno. He sighed and smiled lightly at the other as he peeled away from the parking lot and drove back home.

“I know that we haven’t had the chance to properly talk with each other, but I promise you that everything’s going to be okay.” He finally decided to say, looking at his rearview mirror for just a moment as Techno curled in on himself and looked at Phil with confusion and suspicion before simply looking out the window and leaning his head against the glass with a quiet thump.

Phil turned up the radio and drove on home.

_____________________

“And this is your room. I know that it’s not all that decorated yet and looks really bland but we can pick out some things that you’d like later on.” Phil said. He had been showing Techno around the home just so that he’d be able to get a feel where everything was.

While he had still not said much, Phil could tell that Techno was at least just a bit curious from the look in his eyes.

“The door has a lock and you can lock it anytime you want. I do have an emergency key but I’ll only be using that solely for emergencies. My room is just down the hall to the left in case you ever need anything.”

Techno entered the room and rolled his suitcase up to the edge of the bed before walking up to one of the nightstands and opening one of the drawers to find some miscellaneous things like tape, pencils, and scratch paper. He reluctantly took a seat on the bed, eyes widening a bit at how comfortable it was, causing a light chuckle out of Phil.

“Well, I’ll let you get settled and rested up. If you’re hungry there are some snacks in the kitchen in the drawer closest to the fridge and some leftover spaghetti. I didn’t have a chance to make anything today but feel free to grab whatever you want. I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.” Phil smiled as he gently closed the door behind him with a soft click. And if he noticed the footsteps that followed, and the door now being locked? Well, he wouldn't say anything about it.

It was a start, yet Phil knew that it would be worth the time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really glad that you guys are enjoying this! As of now, I don't really have much of an update schedule since I have online classes but I'll try to keep a consistent schedule as much as I can!


	3. Through the Eyes of Someone Else

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where was the catch?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Minor Injuries  
> TW: Brief mention of Child Abuse, Graphic description of a panic attack (from personal experience)  
> _____________
> 
> Stay safe out there guys!! I hope you enjoy this much longer chapter!

Techno wasn’t stupid. 

No not at all, he knew how these kinds of things went, especially after he’s been through them for so long. It didn’t matter how nice they seemed to be there was always some sort of catch.

The kicker was that they almost always started nice, usually when they came to come pick him up. They gave the workers there a happy attitude filled with deceitful promises of a lovely stay. And when he was brought home with them, it was like he didn’t even exist. He learned that they were much happier when he was quiet and kept to himself. He also came to learn that nothing belonged to him, not the privilege to sleep soundly, not the things he brought with him, hell not even the stimulus checks that came in that were supposedly meant for him and his expenses. It was funny how he was mainly used as extra money for someone’s selfish needs, then again wasn’t he selfish for having even the slightest bit of hope that it would be different?

When he wanted it to be different when he begged and pleaded for it to be different with fiery anger that consumed him whole? Let’s just say he stopped looking for that difference when he tasted metal against his teeth.

He treated this not any different from the rest. Phil was nice, sure, but he knew that wouldn’t last very long the moment that he stepped into that home. Even with that reassuring smile that Phil gave to him, he doubted every moment and every movement.

Then why would Phil continue to keep that soft expression even when they entered the house? Why would he show Techno around the home even if it meant absolutely nothing to him in return? There was a lock on his door and he was allowed to use it.

Techno knew that could change in an instant. He knew that any moment Phil would just decide that he was no longer worth the time and energy. Nothing belonged to him, not even the room that the older blonde said was his. So Techno tried to keep that room nice and neat and rarely ever touched anything that he hadn’t at least brought with him here. He’d only eat what was given to him and no matter how good it tasted compared to other homes, he never commented about it. He’d rarely speak, even when Phil lightly spoke to him and encourage him to speak more, he would only bite back snide remarks of sarcasm in place of a phrase or two just to not cross any unwanted roads.

He would be lying if he said he hated that Phil would drop it and instead invite him out to the farm.

The farm was the one place where he felt the most at peace. Maybe because he knew that if things turned ugly there were vast open planes for him to run through. Yet it was quiet and even though he knew that the farm would never be his haven, he spent his time there the most. He’d garden until the sunlight dipped against the horizon but would only ever do so if Phil mentioned it because he didn’t want there to be consequences for going out without being told so, even when Phil insisted that it was okay.

Phil confused Techno. Even when an entire month had passed and they made little to no progress, Phil only went on like normal and not once made Techno feel unwanted or unheard even when he’d convince himself that any day that would change. Phil confused Techno even more so when the stimulus checks came rolling in and instead of pocketing it for himself, he’d take Techno to buy things for himself that interested him even when he shook his head and insisted that he didn’t need anything. 

Techno didn’t trust Phil and continued with that distrust through 3 more months.

3 more months until it all boiled down to one midnight in early November.

Techno had woken up with a quiet yawn, his eyes looking over to the digital alarm clock on the nightstand.

_12:23_

He normally wouldn’t have gotten up, if anything he would’ve ignored the dry feeling in the back of his throat and rolled back into sleep. Yet tonight it felt like sandpaper had grounded his throat into nothing leaving it feeling like the Sahara Desert. He tried coughing to clear it up but it certainly didn’t help him at all.

One trip to the kitchen for some water. It was only one trip, Phil isn’t awake, he’d be fine.

Silently, Techno unlocked and opened his door with a slight creak before he began to walk down the hallway and down the stairs, the moonlight being the only thing to guide him. He had been here for long enough to know that some of the floorboards creaked louder than the rest and so he tried to avoid those as much as possible. He supposed his first mistake was being barefoot as he crept into the kitchen, the cold tiles sending shivers up his spine. Still, he pressed on forward and opened one of the top cabinets where a variety of different cups laid.

Reaching forward, he grasped one of the glass cups in his hand and pulled back. It would’ve been fine, it should’ve been fine. Yet the moment he took out the cup, he swiped his hand right against a different glass cup and causing it to tip over and directly fall against the floor with a big crash.

Techno sucked in a deep breath through his teeth and jumped back in surprise, his heart already pounding against his chest before he felt a sharp pain through his foot and cursed louder than he had spoken these past months,

“FUCK!” He shouted before he quickly covered his mouth and leaned up against the countertop behind him. He slammed the glass cup he had against the counter and let out shuddered breaths in pain.

Oh god. He had done it now, hadn’t he? He fucked it up. All this time being careful and he still managed to fuck up.

His chest tightened up, the feeling of the pain in his foot becoming numb yet he couldn’t find any relief in that when all of his senses started to become a hazy blur. He shook against the countertop with his breathing starting to become very rapid and labored, almost as if he couldn't breathe. His ears rung painfully and he tried desperately to get a grip back on reality yet his eyes only pricked with tears out of frustration. He didn't notice the hurried footsteps that came down the stairs nor the calling of his name nor when the bright lights of the kitchen flicked on. He would only notice the other in the room when he painfully flinched back against the sudden touch of a hand against his shoulder, a sharp sob echoing out of him as he shook his head. It was too much, it was all too much.

Phil gently leaned down to Techno's level, a frown clear on his face yet it wasn't one of anger. He gently but firmly spoke to Techno, his sight looking down at the broken glass on the floor and the blood that was clearly coming from his foot.

"Tech, I need you to breathe for me. It's okay, it's going to be okay." Phil knew that just from that sudden jerk away that Techno didn't want to be touched right now and he certainly didn't want to overwhelm him as much as he was already. "I need you to breathe, in through your nose for four, hold it for seven, and out for eight, can you do that for me Techno?" When he saw Techno attempt to do just that and ultimately not be able to he spoke again, "That's alright you're doing so well." Phil tried to match the pattern and dramatized it just a bit to where the other would be able to follow along with him.

It took some time but Techno took a few more deep breaths, hearing light words of encouragement from Phil before he was finally able to regain his breath again. His foot hurt, a lot more than it did before and now he could actually see the injury from the corner of his eye.

Phil quickly grabbed a chair from the kitchen table and pulled it over to Techno's direction, "Is it okay if I touch you now?"

Techno took a moment and even though he was hesitant, he nodded and let Phil wrap a hand around his shoulder and lead him away from the broken shards of glass. He leaned most of his weight onto Phil, mostly being exhausted from the panic attack but also because he really couldn't walk on his other foot. He slumped down against the chair and stared down at his lap, occasionally looking up only to see Phil quickly getting out a large Tupperware full of first-aid supplies. He was terrified of what was to come, why wouldn't he be? He had been so quiet and careful only for it to all come crashing down on him. He winced when Phil took a small piece of glass out of his foot and hissed in pain when rubbing alcohol was placed on. All this time Phil didn't talk and it was starting to scare Techno more than he'd like to admit. So when Phil wrapped up his foot in white ace bandages, he was the first one to speak up,

"Are you mad at me?" He would've cursed internally at how soft and vulnerable his usually flat tone of voice was. He didn't like being this vulnerable. And he didn't like when Phil stopped in his motions and looked up at him in confusion.

"Why on Earth would I be mad at you Techno?" He replied voice laced with concern.

"...I broke your cup." Techo mumbled, "And woke you up."

Phil laughed a bit in disbelief, earning an unreadable look from the other. He quickly subsided his laughter and sighed heavily, "Tech. I can replace those cups any day of the week, month, or year. I'm upset that you got hurt but I'm not mad at you because of an accident."

Techno felt his throat close up as he nodded a bit, tears pooling in his vision once again from a sudden wave of relief that washed over him. Phil smiled at him, that same soft and warm smile that he was so cautious about and yet when he held his arms out in motion for a hug, Techno didn't hesitate this time before he leaned into it and cried into his shoulder, more than he had all of these years. And Phil didn't pull away when he felt the young boy go slack in his arms from the exhaustion. Instead, he held him close and carefully carried him back to his room.

Techno wasn't stupid.

Yet when Phil suggested the idea of adoption 2 months later?

He let all the walls he had to build up for himself come back down when he could finally have a place to call home.


	4. Fear Can't Always Guide You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anxiety pricks against you but you know what's best.

Phil had grown to know a lot about Techno in the past year; What his favorite color was, why he liked gardening and sword fighting so much, and the very simple fact that talking to other people absolutely terrified him. Ever since he adopted him, it became clear to him how far this fear went. He wasn’t scared of people themselves, however, he was scared that he may say the wrong thing. Techno was strong-minded and smart, Phil knew that, and Techno himself knew that no matter how narcissistic that may sound. Yet when it came down to talking to new people Techno wouldn’t know what to say or what to do, he always felt nervous and awkward and that certainly didn’t help him at all when it came to school.

So when Techno came back from school one day with an exhausted expression and with his shoulders sagged, Phil sighed and smiled lightly at him.

“Hey Techno, how was school?” Phil said, clearly cooking some chicken in the oven and some vegetables in a pan.

Techno grumbled in response, hanging his bag against the line of hooks next to the front door. “Group project in English today.”

Phil dropped his smile, just a bit as he turned the stove off and wiped his hands on one of the kitchen towels. It was times like these that he went back on the idea of Techno doing online classes, figuring that it would be a lot easier on the boy’s anxiety. Yet he also respected that Techno has made it clear that he still wants to continue with the school he’s at currently.

“Rough day today huh? I’m sorry about that Tech. Do you have any homework?” Phil asked, looking over at his son who currently was fidgeting with the hems of his sleeves.

“Did it all in Chemistry, had nothing else to do.” Techno admitted, which was partially a lie because they were supposed to be taking notes on a video and he couldn’t be bothered to.

“If you want you could head back to the farm, you haven’t seen Carl in awhile.” Techno’s attention perked up at that as he nodded a bit. Carl was a coffee tan-ish colored horse that Techno grew quite fond of on the farm. Then again Carl was the only horse he actually owned currently besides the chickens and pigs. Phil knew that the farm was someplace for Techno to just let out some steam after a long day and he wasn’t going to intrude on that one bit.  
“Just be sure to come back before dinner!” He called out quickly as Techno left with a pair of gardeners glove, no doubt going to work on the carrots and potatoes outback as well.

He sighed softly out of contentment, his vision tracing over the doorway for a moment before he shook his head and busied himself with the rest of dinner. Getting carried away enough to where when he got a phone call, he simply picked it up and answered it without a care in the world.

God was that a tough habit to break.

_________

Techno had gotten back close to dinner time, the wind blowing mightly against his partially tied up hair. His gloves were caked in dirt along with a few smudges on his sweater that he could wash off later. He actually felt a lot better than he had before, of course, he was still a tad bit on edge but nobody could be at fault for his bad day.

When Techno entered his house he could feel that something was off. It smelled nice, delicious even, the heat warm against his cold skin from the outdoors yet something wasn’t adding up and he could feel it.

“Dad? I’m back…” He said, trailing off a bit when he saw Phil sat down at the table, food already served for the both of them. He knitted his eyebrows in confusion and concern at how nervous his father looked.

Phil looked over at Techno and cleared his throat before motioning his son to sit down. A smile on his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Techno swallowed thickly as he sat down across from Phil, his leg already bouncing a bit as his mind raced with endless thoughts and possibilities of what was happening, his appetite long forgotten.

Phil waited for just a moment before speaking, his voice very calm and composed despite him clearly looking just a bit nervous.

“...I got a call from the foster agency Tech.” He simply said, watching as Techno’s eyes widened in response. “It’s nothing bad that involves you, I promise!” He quickly added, placing a firm and reassuring hand on Techno’s forearm upon noticing him begin to tremble a bit. Techno visibly relaxed, if just for a bit before his eyes flickered with confusion.

“What did they call you for?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about… They called me asking if I’d be willing to take in a 15-year-old boy. I haven’t given them a clear answer because I wanted to ask your opinion on it first since you also live here.” Phil eased into it a bit, looking at Techno for any sign that he clearly wasn’t okay with that.

Techno look at Phil with very careful, and even a bit fearful, eyes. He picked at the table, a habit that he picked up when he was apprehensive about something. He thought about it. He had had foster siblings in the past, sure they weren’t much of interest to him because he never had an actual relationship with any of them but still. He was tense when it came to new people and ideas and he knew that. He looked up at Phil and noticed how much anticipation he had on his face. He wasn’t good with new people, but this felt different. And the longer he stayed here the more he came to terms with the fact that different didn’t always have to be bad. Phil had shown him that different can sometimes be good and even if he wasn’t that good with change he was willing to just try for once.

He took a deep breath, in through his nose and out through his mouth. He gave Phil a small smile and said as sure as his voice could be,

“Sounds like a plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really proud of how this one came out and hope you guys enjoy the small interlude before we get to meet [******] or you know who- Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!


	5. Line Without a Hook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nerves on end yet sweet melodies and bitter smoke crept in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Implied Cigarette Usage (Not from Wilbur of course. I don't know if this could be considered as a content warning but I'll leave this here just in case!!), Mentioned/Implied damaged lungs from second-hand smoke inhalation  
> TW: Cigarette burn scars, Implied Child Abuse
> 
> (Small A.N.: Even though Wilbur is technically older in this fic, I'd like to imagine that Techno would still be the more stoic and serious one in the family :) )

Okay, maybe Techno was regretting his decisions just a bit.

He looked out the passenger window, his fingers drumming in a rhythmic motion against his leg. Maybe he should’ve stayed home and waited for Phil to come back. Well, he knew that he probably should’ve otherwise he wouldn’t be so antsy and uncomfortable sitting in the moving car. He almost flinched at the sudden yet comforting hand on his shoulder before realizing that it was just Phil who wasn’t looking directly at him in favor of not having them crash - even though Techno thinks he might even prefer that at the moment - yet Techno sunk against the seat and let out a breath he didn’t even know he had been holding.

Techno hadn’t seen the foster care agency building in such a long time that his brain barely registered where they were when they pulled up to the place. And oh boy did he feel another level of fear when they did. 

“Are you sure that you want to come with me? You’re allowed to stay in the car if you want Tech.” Phil suggested, noticing the way Techno’s wide eyes would stare at the building in distaste.

Techno went quiet for a moment before huffing a bit, “No, I wanna come with. I’ll be fine dad, I’m just a little bit nervous is all…” He said, looking over at Phil with a facade of certainty.   
Yes, Phil could see right through it but he didn’t say anything about it as he hesitantly stepped out of the car and waited until Techno was sure in his movements before walking into the building. The place did look somewhat different than the last time he was here. The floors were remodeled from a thick hardwood floor to light green and red tiles that rowed across the place diagonally. Techno teetered behind uncomfortably, looking around with a sense of familiarity, even if it was an unpleasant feeling of familiarity.

Techno eyed Phil as he walked up to the front desk to pick up all of the needed paperwork that he needed to fill out. He stood close by him and sat down on the hard plastic chairs that they had in the front office. There weren’t many people there, which Techno was thankful for at least but knowing that it may take a while before Phil would finish, he took out his phone and played a few puzzle games to help pass the time, hoping that they would distract him from the situation.

He hardly noticed when 15 minutes had already passed and Phil had gotten up to go turn in the filled paperwork to the receptionist. He did, however, notice when Phil came back for him and had told him that they needed to go upfront. He hesitated for the first time in a while before he followed Phil. _Ah shit, he was doing it again_. Avoiding eye contact with anyone, he trailed behind Phil with the occasional glance to see where he was going.

He couldn’t really hear anything besides his heartbeat that was now ringing in his ears. It almost stopped for a moment when he saw those two doors that lead directly out of the holding area open up revealing two people behind them.

One of them was clearly a caretaker, nothing like his own in the past, who was clearly in a rush with how disheveled he looked. The other person was far more interesting to Techno at that current moment and honestly, he couldn’t tell if that was a good or a bad thing. Phil had said that he was 15, but he was even taller than him which scared the shit out of him because he thought that he was tall for his age. He was actually extremely skinny, far more than when he was here, which was incredibly concerning especially with how pale and sickly he looked. He had a curly-wavy mop of light brown hair that was mostly covered by a black beanie and dark brown eyes that held some sort of warmth to them that couldn’t quite be placed. He wore a faded out yellow jumper that looked too thin to actually be protecting against anything cold. All he was carrying was an old backpack that had one of its straps broken and a large guitar case, while a tad bit worn from use, was relatively clean and clearly well cared for.

However, the one thing that Techno could truly notice was the undeniable fume of embers that sparked in the wrong places and cigarette smoke that clung to the older boy.

Phil smiled softly at the taller boy, even though it was clear that he held similar concerns that Techno did, if not even more so.

“Mr. Watson, so glad to have you back.” The caretaker said, eyes glued to his clipboard as he wrote down a few things. Looking up, he tucked the clipboard under his arm and reached out to strongly shake his hand.

“I’m glad to be back,” Phil said and he couldn’t help but look over at the other with a warm smile.

“This is Wilbur, he’s 15-years-old as you’ve heard before.” The caretaker said, motioning over to Wilbur who smiled and gave Phil a small wave in response. “He does have a few important details on his file that I feel like we should go over in the main lobby if that would be okay with you.”

Phil remembered that same discussion happening when he first met Techno and he also remembered every excruciating detail that they would share about him even with him still being in the room. He nodded before asking, “Sure thing, but would it be alright to have it done in private? I have my son here and I’m sure he’d be happy to keep Wilbur company.” He was most definitely going to have an angry pre-teen when he got back home with the look of complete feign betrayal that casts over Techno’s face. He’d have to probably pay him back later for this but Phil also felt like it at least gave them a better chance to get to know each other.

If looks could kill though he was sure Techno would’ve had him dusted by now. Techno looked over at Wilbur who made complete eye contact with him. Damn his social anxiety and damn his own dad.

“Most certainly Mr. Watson, they could both wait at the front office.”

Wilbur took that as a sign of dismissal as he made his way over to Techno and waited for a moment. Techno wasn’t even sure what he was waiting for until it hit him that _he’s waiting for you_. So with a quick glare at the back of Phil’s head, he slowly walked back into the office with those cheap plastic chairs. He sat down and watched as Wilbur basically took long strides into the seat next to him, placing down the things he had taken with him right beside him.   
And then came silence.

And more silence.

And _more_ silence.

It felt incredibly awkward to Techno and he couldn’t understand why on earth Phil would do this to him until he finally had enough courage to speak out,

“Uh… I’m Techno I’ll be your foster brother?” He said. It sounded more like a question but with his voice rather unsteady it was the best he could do at the moment.

“It’s good to meet you Techno, I’m Wilbur.” The other said, much more steady in his words.

And it grew silent again, and Techno knew that he should probably be the one carrying this conversation but he couldn’t figure out what to say. Well, that was until his eyes looked over at Wilbur’s guitar case.

“I, uh, like your guitar case. Do you play?” Techno asked, obviously knowing the answer because he doubted that Wilbur would have a guitar if he didn’t know how to play.

“Ah, thank you, yeah I do know how to play. I started learning when I was 6 actually.” Wilbur grabbed his guitar case. “Do you wanna see?” He asked, smiling with a spark of excitement in his eyes. Techno titled his head to look over and gave a small nod in response. Wilbur slowly rolled up his sleeves and folded them in, obviously so that they wouldn’t bother him as much. Techno’s gaze however did not land on Wilbur unlatching his guitar case, no not at all, in fact, his gaze fell upon the many circular burn marks that littered his pale skin. All of them were clearly old, yet not old enough to the point where they had faded even the tiniest of bits. Even though Techno’s expression clearly shifted from being nervous to now being sympathetic and now knowing where the smell must have come from, he did his best to avoid looking at them any further and instead looked over at the guitar that Wilbur pulled out and laid across his lap.

The guitar itself looked cared for, even with a few minor scratches here and there. Each string was made out of steel rather than nylon and was finely tuned as Wilbur demonstrated with a light strum. Techno didn’t play any instruments but could appreciate how long it takes to learn. The lather strap did look like it’s seen better days but if it worked it worked. The inside of the case had soft velvet lining it with a small net pocket that looked like it had something in it. Curiously, Techno leaned in a bit to look when he heard Wilbur speak again causing him to jump,

“Sorry about that, it’s just my inhaler. My lungs are a bit bad so I needed it when going long distances or when it’s especially cold.” He explained and couldn’t help but laugh at how jumpy the other was. “No need to be so jumpy! I don’t bite you know.”

Techno grumbled under his breath in response before rolling his eyes, “Well I wouldn’t be so on edge if you weren’t a giant.” He sarcastically remarked with a smile.

Wilbur took that as a challenge and laughed before dramatically feigning offense, “Well it isn’t my fault that everyone is so short including you.” 

“Oh yeah, yeah, play it all up won’t you?”

This quickly dissolved into playful bickering back and forth between them causing a rise out of Wilbur of which he needed to take a pump out of his inhaler from how hard he was laughing.

When Phil had finally gotten back with the knowledge of Wilbur’s background history, he could practically hear the two all the way from across the hall. Even though everything that had been said was a lot to take in, he couldn’t help but smile at the two who were laughing as if they had known each other for years already.

The smell of smoke died down a bit when they finally made it make home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur having asthma was not apart of the plan, but I ended up listening to "Your City Gave Me Asthma" one too many times and took it too literally- Also you may be wondering where and when the dirty crime boy may strike... all I'm gonna say is that it won't be all that soon HOWEVER it will be the most unconventional crime ever committed-


	6. Walking on Already Broken Eggshells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The smoke faded out between outstretched fingertips, but the hushed whispers of melodies remained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Minor Injuries, Minor Asthma Attack, Techno is implied to have beaten someone up and somehow does not get caught  
> TW: Bullying, Self-Esteem/Confidence Issues

It was strange how much Phil hadn’t known how quiet the home usually was before meeting Wilbur. Not to say that he minded it, however, he just didn’t really notice that between him and Techno, the home was usually filled with either quiet hums of the TV downstairs or the faded noises of the chickens that were usually too far away to be heard. The sudden shift in this silence happened rather quickly as Wilbur had settled himself in for his first week staying there. He had gotten comfortable rather quickly- which warmed Phil’s heart no matter how cheesy that sounded- with him regularly bantering with Techno and constantly just having light chatter with Phil.

That wasn’t the only developing way that Wilbur had broken the silence.

It started very quietly, the soft strumming of a guitar barely reaching enough to be heard in Techno’s room. Techno didn’t bat an eye at it, still, he left his door open just a bit more to listen better since Wilbur’s room was directly across from his own.

It took a good while for that soft strumming to get louder in volume, this time accompanied by a light voice. It was mostly drained out by the loud volume of the guitar but if you listened close enough you’d be able to make out Wilbur’s quiet and hesitant singing voice. And between the knowledge of the scars that Wilbur had and the sudden silence that carried out whenever anyone walked close to his room, Phil could only hope that trust, patience, and love would be enough to build up Wilbur’s confidence.

__________

It was Wilbur’s own fault for staying out so late. He knew that he should’ve gotten on that bus home with Techno yet he decided to stay behind since he needed to study for an upcoming history test involving geography. Hell, he probably should’ve asked one of his friends if they’d come with him, he was sure that Niki wouldn’t have minded or Schlatt even if he’d just end up distracting him in the end. 

But he sat there on the afternoon bus, lungs burning from the inside as he desperately tried to ground his breathing enough to where he wouldn’t suffocate. Everything felt fuzzy and out of place as he reached up to touch his lip that had been busted in the altercation he was in. If he was shaking then he wouldn’t have known since the rug burns on his hands was far too painful for him to focus on anything but that and how he’d wheeze and cough every so often. He hasn’t cried yet, which was probably due to him still being in shock after what had happened.

He was an easy target. He should’ve been careful yet it had only been 2 months and he had seemingly gotten too comfortable with how he was living.

Wilbur leaned up against the bus window, the cold glass pressing against his bruised cheek. He felt the bus come to a stop with a sudden lurch forward and he thought about just staying there, his lungs screaming at him for oxygen. Ultimately, he knew that getting kicked off was far worse and would probably get him into bigger trouble than he thought he already was in. So he hesitantly got off the bus, his backpack sagged across his shoulder as he slowly moved towards the house. He could hear himself wheeze audibly with each breath and that scared him from how long he had just been sitting like that. Coughing into his elbow, he opened the door and carefully entered inside, dropping his bag down onto the side of the door and closed it behind with a small click. Maybe if he walked to his room quick enough he could evade any questions, yet he needed that spare inhaler inside of the first aid kit in the kitchen and he couldn’t-

“Hey, Wilbur! Welcome back mate, how was school?”

bloody hell.

Wilbur tried to think of something to say, anything that could persuade Phil into thinking that everything was okay and that he had a good day even if it wasn’t. He stood there, mouth agape with quiet raspy breaths only coming out.

“Wilbur?” Phil called out, sounding understandably very confused and concerned. It was unusual for the tallboy to be so quiet, especially after school. Techno looked over at Phil with similar confusion and worry, his appetite being now forgotten in favor of watching the doorway with anticipation.

What neither was expecting was for Wilbur to stumble in looking like he had just been dragged through hell. Phil immediately had gotten out of his seat with worry and fear written all over his face.

"Wilbur! Oh god… Techno grabs the extra inhaler from the first aid kit please." Phil gently reached out to tough Wilbur who flinched in response but carefully let him look at his cuts and bruises. Techno was quick in his movements as he swiftly offered Wilbur the inhaler only to notice the deep rug burn on his hands.

It was overwhelming for Wilbur, the gentle touches that didn't at all burn against his skin were surprising.

"Wilbur what happened man?..." Techno finally spoke, something starting to flare up inside of him as he saw the clear signs of someone having done this to him.

Wilbur gripped onto the inhaler, his breathing awful at this point but he felt it difficult to do the simplest of tasks. He thought about what Techno had asked him and saw how Phil was searching for an answer to that question as well. He slowly raised his inhaler and took two pumps of it, his lungs easing up just a bit as he managed to let the device slip from his fingers and clunk against the floor. His shoulders shook a bit as he spoke quietly,

"They took my guitar." He finally said, breaking the dam as he leaned against Phil's shoulder and wept softly. Phil very quickly wrapped his arms around him and carded his fingers through his hair in a comforting manner.

Phil could have vivid flashbacks to when Techno was still under his care as a foster and how heartbreaking it was to hear him cry. It was still equally as heartbreaking when Wilbur was now doing just that.

Techno could physically feel his blood starting to boil when he heard those broken words come out of Wilbur. Someone took Wilbur’s comfort item. The one thing that he had with him almost all of the time. He didn’t know exactly how to comfort someone, the most awkward thing being when he’s basically stranded with someone in tears and he doesn’t know what to say or do to make it all better. He composed himself however and reached over to place a hand on Wilbur’s shoulder, hoping that would at least be enough for the other to know that he was there.

It had taken a long while for Wilbur to calm himself down, with him muttering light apologies for what had occurred. Phil shook those apologies off and fixed him up with bandages and medical cream with a soft smile. Techno quickly put on a Disney film in the background, piling mountains of blankets onto the couch when they all sat down and just quietly watched and ate, bringing Wilbur’s attention to the moment at hand.

If Phil raised his voice once or twice during a direct phone call to the school the very next day then neither of the boys needed to know. If he called Wilbur his son one too many times during that call then the boys didn’t need to know. If Techno went out of his way to personally track down who had caused Wilbur harm then nobody besides Niki and Schlatt needed to know. If Techno asked for them to stay with Wilbur in case something like that happened again then Wilbur didn’t need to know.

Wilbur’s guitar, however, would soon be returned by his locker within a week along with Techno bringing home bruised knuckles and a cut under his jaw that he would blame on a simple accident in P.E. Nobody would end up questioning him either way, even if another group showed up with scratches and bruising.

Beyond quiet whispers between Techno and Phil, both of them coincided with what their next move was. And beyond the tears that were no longer of pain and sadness, Wilbur was welcomed with open arms and adopted into a place he could officially call home. And the melodies grew louder beyond those closed doors that would sometimes peak open just a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love a supportive and still very protective family,, also the tea is that while Techno struggles a lot with anxiety I can 100% see him beating someone up for his family plus Phil being a pacifist until he sees one of his sons has been hurt is a big trope and I love it. Also while Niki and Schlatt are only mentioned in this chapter, they will end up making an appearance later on including a few others! By later on I mean probably sooner than you'd expect-


	7. Blissful Mornings and Loud Phone Calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Playful laughter and reading that caller ID.

"Daaad! Techno won't stop trying to shove the pancake batter in my face!" Wilbur whined dramatically, although it was quickly smothered out by loud laughter that followed the protest.

Phil tugged at his robe and rolled his eyes lovingly. He walked into the kitchen only to catch Techno red handed in the act of smothering the batter on Wilbur's cheek. He huffed with laughter as Techno had flour clearly faded over his recently dyed bubblegum pink hair which turned the pastel color even more faded.

"Boys." He said in a playful warning type of tone causing them both to look at him with wide eyes and shaky lips that almost spilled out laughter. He pinched the bridge of his nose and chuckled, "God what am I gonna do with you two. Play nice or we're eating salad for breakfast."

Techno huffed and scrunched his nose when he shook his head and puffs of flour fell out. Wilbur waved his hand disapprovingly at the cloud of flour and rubbed his cheek with his sleeve to take the batter off. It had been two years- and three months in counting if Phil was honest- since Wilbur was adopted into the family and three since Techno was and the two were absolutely joined at the hip with how often they'd have feuds similar to this and would confide in each other the most.

Phil waltzed himself over to the stove to turn it on and crack some eggs and bacon into the pan. He glanced over at his boys who were now quietly setting the table as they placed the finished batter onto the countertop for Phil. It wasn't very hard to see that both were, quite literally, having a stare off as they both raced against each other to place everything on the table. They haven't broken anything yet, so he let them have their fun between themselves.

He quickly plated the eggs, bacon, and pancakes before his hearing perked up at the sudden sound of his phone ringing.

"I'll get it." Techno said, putting a pause on his and Wilbur's little competition to go locate the phone. It took him a good 3 seconds before he came back with a slightly confused look on his face.  
"Thank you Tech." Phil smiled and took the phone from his son's hands and looked down at the caller ID. His expression turned into one of similar confusion as he answered the phone with a gracious, "Hello?"

Wilbur looked on and watched as their dad wandered away from the kitchen. He looked over at Techno who only mouthed the word, 'Work' before he gave a soft, "oh." He turned a bit to place the plates on the table before smiling and laughing under his breath,

"I win." He whispered, even if his lungs were much better he still had a slight rasp whenever he'd whispered.

Techno gave a look of mock offense before crossing his arms and glared at him. He raised his eyebrows when Phil came back looking exasperated and just a tad bit _frustrated_ which was a weird look on Phil because he normally didn't get very frustrated and was a very patient man.

"Yes. Yes no, I understand. Yep, okay I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good day, Sir." Phil wasted no time in hanging up the phone as he stood there for a moment, clearly trying to compose himself with a deep breath.

"Tomorrow?..." Techno said, puzzled as to where Phil was going.

"Got a call from HQ, said that they lost some paperwork I sent them and are unable to recover them. They want me to come down there and help them figure it out." Phil explained, shoving the phone in his pocket with a light breath. "It's days like these where I wished I had actually become a full-time farmer. Ah well, you win some and lose some I guess." He smiled a bit at them and shook his head.

Wilbur was the first to sit down at the table, a beat of silence present before he asked, "What time are you going to leave and come back?"

"They want me there at 7:00 in the morning. I don't know when I'll be back, if I'm lucky maybe around 6:00? Did you want something Wil?"

"Oh… Uh well Niki and Schlatt invited me to come to the park tomorrow with a few others but I get it if you're busy!" Wilbur nervously said with a toothy grin.

"Hm… Well if you want to take the bus you can, although it is scheduled to rain tomorrow so I don't want you out too long Wilbur. You know how your lungs can get when it gets really cold, especially if you get sick." Phil said with a concern yet stern voice. It wasn't as though he didn't trust Wilbur going out. No not at all. He had met most of Wilbur's friends including Niki and Schlatt which he was closest with. Niki was a foreign exchange student from Germany that poured out sunshine and trust wherever she walked, so he most definitely trusted her. Schlatt was…

Well, Schlatt. He was much louder and had the most crudest humor. Yet at the same time he made Wilbur happy so that in return made Phil happy.

"I'll take an extra coat and an umbrella! I'll take my inhaler with me as well!" Wilbur bargained with a hopeful tone.

"...You know I can't say no to that tone. Fine! Alright! Just don't stay out too late." Phil rolled his eyes and chuckled at his enthusiasm, "Techno?"

"Nahh. Wil already offered. I'll just order some pizza and stay in." Techno shrugged.

"I even said that Dream and his friends would be there and he still said no!"

Techno snickered, over the year he had somehow gained a rival after he decided to join a fencing club. The rival in question was more of a frenemy that he'd occasionally fence with. It wasn't his fault that he had grown to be so competitive. "And I said that I'd kick his a-s-s a different time. Take it or leave it."

Phil would never get tired of those two constant back and forth. If anything it felt uncanny without it and all of them could agree on that.

"Alright, alright you two. How about we eat and then you two can help me sort out through some files-" Phil had anticipated the groans of disapproval that his boys would start with so he quickly added, "-Whoever finds the folder I need can pick whatever movie they wanna watch tonight."

That quickly shut both of them up and they looked between each other and started to basically inhale their breakfast.

"Wha- Slow down!" He wheezed a bit. He could never get tired of this, would he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh? you thought that call was another foster call? you thought w r o n g-  
> Ngl I'm actually very excited to write these next chapters- As always I hoped you enjoyed this interlude!! <3


	8. Committing Unconventional Crime Pt 1.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Empty threats, gut feelings, and meet-ups

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Teens being Teens, underaged drinking/STDs mentioned in a joking manner (nothing happens dw!!)

Phil groaned as he shoved his jacket on with a lough and audible sigh. He noticed how two other tall figures sluggishly sunk their way into the living room, sitting themselves on the cough.

Phil hadn't meant to wake them, really it should've been a quick kiss on their foreheads before he left but both protested in their own ways. Techno - even though he rarely got much sleep anyways - said it would be better for them to wake up now just so they could at least say a proper goodbye for now. Wilbur protested that with not wanting to leave his comfortable bed but ultimately getting dragged out anyways by his brother.

The eldest slumped his head against Techno's shoulder, his eyes dangerously edging back into sleep. Phil chuckled lightly before ruffling his hair and patting Techno on the shoulder who was much used to waking up this early.

"Well, I best be going now. Wilbur don't forget what I said about you going out later today. I left some money for you Techno to buy food with. I also left some bus fee money for you to take Wil, it should be enough for you to go and come back. There's a bit extra just in case." Phil said, shuffling his things into a satchel.

Wilbur simply made a small noise in understandment before letting his eyes close. Techno nodded and flicked Wilbur's forehead, earning him a hand swat and an irritated groan.

"Remember, call me if you guys need me to 8come home early or there's an emergency with either of you. As much as I would _absolutely love_ to be there, you two come first."

"Hah" Techno said with a slight tired dip, "Don't worry about it dad. I'll take care of it and make sure Wilbur here doesn't get lost and pass out on a park bench."

"You wish I'd do that…" Wilbur tiredly replied with a sharp yawn.

Phil smiled before looking at his phone, his soft expression shifting into a much more neutral one. "Okay I really should get going. Bye I love you two." He said, reaching to place a small kiss on their foreheads before heading out the front door with a quiet click of the door shutting behind him.

Techno waited until he could hear the faint sound of the car pulling away for him to turn on the TV, muting it and turning on captions. He'd let Wilbur sleep for now.

For now until he'd eventually shove him off when he noticed the other begin to stir and wake up.

______________

"Ay. Take this one." Techno tossed something over to Wilbur who immediately caught it with expecting hands. He looked down at the brown leather trench-coat with a smile.

"Is this really necessary?" He asked, wrapping a warm red scarf around his neck. He pulled the coat onto himself. It was actually quite heavy yet kept heat in which was nice.

"Oh well I don't know Wil, why don't you ask that to your lungs?" Techno said in annoyance yet it was all in good fun. "If you get even the slightest bit sick, dad'll be fussing over you all day and I know how much you hate worrying him."

Wilbur rolled his eyes and pulled his beanie on, glancing over at the slightly grey sky. He didn't really understand why they all wanted to meet up today out of all days, yet Niki had said it was mostly because all of their schedules were freed up for the day and George had been the one to suggest it. He sighed, taking a pump from his inhaler before putting it in one of his coat pockets, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're more fussy than Dad."  
"Keep saying that and I might have to fight you Wil." It was an empty threat. However with Techno an empty threat could turn into an actual threat very quickly.

"Alright! Alright! I have everything, can I leave now?" He laughed at his younger brother who glared at him sharply yet he could see the smile starting to form on his face.

"Yeah I guess. Just don't get kidnapped tall ass and if it starts raining you know what to do." Techno affectionately shoved his brother towards the door.  
"Wow it's like you want me to leave."  
"I do. Now shoo!"  
Wilbur laughed heartily and took the money he needed off of the table before looping the string from the umbrella to his wrist. "Make sure to order breadsticks with the pizza!"

Techno scoffed and opened the door, watching Wilbur leave, "Keep dreaming Wil. There won't be any when you get home." Wilbur cackled before simply waving him off as he walked along the gravel path that led out from their small home into the more rural area where there was a bus stop.

_2 New Messages!_

_ytka: Where are you, I got here too early and sapnap and dream are trying to kill each other again_

_ytka: Which is fine, i don't give any fucks but they're causing a scene and I might actually shank one of them_

Wilbur leaned against the bus stop sign and snorted at the thought. He wouldn't put it past Schlatt to actually commit to that.

_wimblrsut: omw have to take the bus today dont kill anyone yet_

He watched as the three dots popped up and his phone pinged again.

_ytka: Yeah yeah whatever. Just hurry the fuck up. If I have to hear Sapnap scream like a little bitch one more time I'm gonna have a heart attack._

_niki 💞: schlatt!! be nice!! D: i'm almost there dw!!_

_ytka: Better hurry I already have my pocket knife locked and loaded._

_wilmbursut: that made 0 sense_

_ytka: Fuck you especially._

He almost burst out laughing as soon as he got on the bus and paid the fee. He placed his phone back into his pocket and sighed, the bus was much warmer than the outside. With the heater running with a quiet rumble in the back. The bus ride felt longer than it usually would, which was strange because Wilbur normally got distracted enough to not notice how slow the bus moved or how it would slightly jerk a bit whenever it stopped and went again.

It was maybe just the change in weather that made him notice these small details. Maybe. Yet he pushed away those thoughts as the bus finally stopped in front of a fairly large park. He gripped the coat and pulled his closer to himself as he exited the bus and looked around.

There was a quaint little playground next to a large basketball court, no kids seemed to be there besides the occasional rattle the swings made against the poll holding it once the wind blew a bit too harshly. He stared at the swings in thought, a small sense of something… strange starting to build up in the back of his mind. He didn't exactly know why or what it was about the area yet he didn't really pay close attention to it.

It was quiet. Or well. Seemed like it was quiet until he actually could actually make out what sounds to be screaming. A smile traced across his lips and he practically sprinted lightly towards the other side towards the skate park.

"DREAAAMM! GET AWAY!" A loud voice screamed along with it was a cackle from another person.

"C'MERE SAPNAP!" The other voice shouted. Wilbur watched as the two practically zoomed by him, Dream hot on Sapnap's trail before he tackled the other to the ground. George lightly walked behind, taking a sip out of a tall white tumbler.

"Hey Wilbur." The british brunette simply said, as if what was happening was a normal everyday occurrence.  
Well it wasn't everyday but it was certainly most.  
"Good to see you guys too?" Wilbur laughed, watching as Sapnap was currently struggling to get Dream off of him. He watched Schlatt walk around the corner and he looked like he was just about ready to snap and kill everyone there.

"Let me guess. They've been at this since they arrived?" Wilbur questioned.

"Yup and they haven't broken anything yet which is surprising." George replied with a shrug.

"Remind me why I shouldn't bring any alcohol next time?" Schlatt groaned, placing his head against his palms.

"Well it's illegal first off. Second off I'm pretty sure if you even got a drop of liquor in your system you'd get addicted and third off Niki would actually murder all of us." Wilbur jokes, only hearing Schlatt groan louder as a response. Speaking of the devil, he heard a car door close in the parking lot and watched as the much smaller female ran across with bags across her wrists. "Wilbur!" She yelled out with a warm smile. It was standard of her to greet him first which always made his heart swell from how sweet she was.

"Ayy Niki! Watcha got there?" He asked, watching as she placed the bags down swiftly. 

"Just some snacks! I figured since we're gonna be here for a bit why not bring some things? Hi Schlatt and George!" Niki responded before she noticed the other two on the ground who were no longer trying to wrestle each other anymore as Dream very quickly pulled Sapnap up to his feet, "And Dream and Sapnap. Are you two okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, we're fine!" Dream said huffing out of how long he was fighting with the other.  
"No absolutely not fine Niki. Dream hunted me down like a wild animal!"  
"Oh come on you're acting like we've never done this before."  
"Yeah but at least you make it fair and chase George as well!"  
"I didn't _feel_ like chasing George though."  
"BULLSHI-"

"Guys! How about we settle down and relax… we don't want a repeat of what happened last time." Niki scolded, using what Schlatt had deemed her 'parent voice'. The last time she was referring to was around a year back when Sapnap accidentally fractured his ankle trying to run from both George and Dream.  
"In all fairness we didn't tell him to climb that tree and jump off." George added.  
"It wasn't like I had a choice?!"

Wilbur tuned out their bickering, eyes flickering back over to the playground area. It felt eerie. Like he was being watched or something when no one was there. Schlatt shoving his shoulder instantly pulled him out of his thoughts,

"It's a little bit creepy to be staring at an area made for kids Wil."

Wilbur harshly shoved Schlatt who stumbled back a bit with a laugh. "Shut up. I just got lost in thought."  
"What? What are you thinking about this time? And please god let it not be a new song."  
"Asshole… but, I don't know? I just feel… wrong? Like someone's watching me or uh, us… have you guys even checked that playground area yet?" Wilbur asked cautiously, watching as Schlatt slowly put a chip in his mouth before responding.

"It's real gross and slimy over there. I went there once last time and I wouldn't recommend it unless you're looking to contract some sort of STD or the bubonic plague." Schlatt said nonchalantly.

Wilbur hummed in affirmation yet he looked over and he swears that someone's there. Yet he's pulled away rather suddenly by Schlatt who recommends that they move further in the skatepark while they wait for a few others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update!! I started this around Thanksgiving break and since I'm back in online school I've been reallllyyy busy!!! You'll most likely be getting a double update tomorrow actually (no promises of course but still <3) since my brain is working overtime instead of doing any of my hw- I hope you enjoyed this!


	9. Committing Unconventional Crime Pt 2.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parks and Recklessness,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and the raindrops that rolled down cheeks to cover up tears.
> 
> ________
> 
> TW: Implied Child Abandonment, Implied Neglect/Abuse, Injuries (Please be cautious with this chapter because there is mentions of fresh blood that is DEFINITELY not from an accident!!)

Wilbur leaned up against the cold metal fence, hardly noticing how he’d shiver against the sudden touch. It really was a bit cold out plus really windy against his skin. Quackity and Schlatt were talking about something next to him yet he had tuned them out a bit to watch Sapnap skate across the funbox with Bad following closely behind. Wilbur hadn’t exactly thought that Bad would be necessarily into skateboarding when he had first met him and Skeppy. Sure everyone called him Bad and that was his nickname that just stuck yet to see the same male who would yell out ‘Language’ whenever someone cussed or would bring muffins on special occasions that he baked himself just completely surpass Sapnap when it came to skateboarding. 

“No, because I was chillin 'in Cedar Rapids,” Quackity said with the confidence of a thousand suns. He hadn’t a clue what they were talking about but whatever it was had surely gotten a loud cackle out of Schlatt.

“Cedar Rapids?” Wilbur repeated with an eyebrow raise at the other two, Schlatt only laughed harder as Quackity spoke much louder than before,

“YES CEDAR RAPIDS! I WAS JUST CHILLIN IN CEDAR RAPIDS!” He screeched out and got a good laugh out of him regardless of not knowing the exact context of what had gotten his two friends so riled up about Cedar Rapids. “I didn’t know that just chillin 'in Cedar Rapids could be so CONTROVERSIAL. DIOS SANTOS.”

Wilbur rolled his eyes and turned his attention back on the other two skaters and the group on the other side that were sitting criss-cross against the edge of the bowl. He could hear Dream’s extremely loud wheezes from across the place which was a lot since he, Quackity, and Schlatt all objectively were very loud laughers. He watched as Niki sat down next to him, two cans of soda in her grip. She offered one to Wilbur and he smiled and took it, opening it with a soft hiss.

“How’s Phil and Techno?” Niki asked quietly, leaning against the fence yet recoiling a bit from how cold to the touch it was. 

“They’re doing okay. Dad had an issue at work that he needed to sort out personally so I had to take the bus. I invited Techno over but he decided to stay at home…” Wilbur responded, taking a sip of the soda, “You know how he gets in large groups of people. Still, he said that he’d beat Dream’s ass a different time so I have something to look forward to.”

She laughed and shook her head, “Leave it to Techno to master the blade and make everything a competition.” Niki joked lightly. Quackity, however, kept glancing over at them anytime they even mentioned Wilbur’s younger sibling. Now if you asked, Quackity would flat out deny that he was even remotely scared of Techno however ever since Techno had personally beaten him in fencing on 5 consecutive occasions, well, he’s more than just a bit cautious around the monotoned voice male. Wilbur noticed this and couldn’t help but say more than just a tad bit too loud, “Yeah you know Techno and always wanting to win.” Niki had lightly punched his arm at that once she caught sight of Quackity’s wide eyes and he was starting to mumble Spanish Bible verses under his breath. Wilbur snorted and rubbed his arm a bit, his brown eyes drifting away a bit.

Why was it always that damned playground that grabbed his attention?

It was dull, colorless, and peeling back from all of the wear and tear of its time there. Yeah, it was eerie yet there wasn’t anything necessarily wrong with it. He furrowed his eyebrows at the thought until a drop of water dripped down against the tip of his nose. Oh. Niki giggled as the droplets started to fall more frequently as Quackity let out a very long dramatic cry. Popping up his umbrella, he noticed how large it was and could cover both him and Niki, probably Schlatt as well if he scooted in further. It was only now that he looked up and saw how dark the clouds were and despite how light it was sprinkling, it would probably pick up and _fast_.

Bad had taken notice of that and stopped in his tracks, irritation poking at him now that his glasses were covered in water droplets. He gingerly picked up his skateboard and grabbed his bad off of the floor, "I should probably get going. It's getting really cold and I don't wanna get sick." He simply said with a soft smile. Sapnap nodded in agreement, "Yeah my mom would have my head if she found out that I got sick from being out in the rain."

Dream and George were about to protest on how all three of them lived together and he couldn't use him getting in trouble as an excuse anymore yet they could both see that the rain was starting to pick up and frankly they didn't want to be caught in a storm. "Hm, we should probably meet at a different place next time and maybe check the weather," George suggested with a laugh as he zipped up his jacket while standing back up. "I don't know why you say that now of all times when you're the one who suggested we come out here." Dream started, clearly getting ramped up to start bickering again.  
It did work in all fairness. Wilbur waved them a quick goodbye as all four of them got ready to leave. Quackity was the next to leave, and that was only because the rain had begun pelting harshly against the concrete. Saying their goodbyes, he coughed lightly into his coat, the air rushing unpleasantly into his lungs.  
Schlatt and Niki both looked over to him and waited for him to use his inhaler before either of them spoke up.

"You sure that you don't want one of us to drive you home Wil? This storm looks like it's gonna get pretty nasty and I don't think any of us want you to get sick." Niki asked, standing back up to place her hood up to cover her head.  
"Unless you're looking to get pneumonia then we can't help you there," Schlatt added, dipping his head underneath the other's umbrella for a moment to take out his phone.

Wilbur had thought about that. In all seriousness, he didn't want to wait another 10 minutes for a bus to arrive especially since the weather was so goddamn shit. He didn't even know why he had said what he said next because he knew damn well he'd have them both worrying about him, "Nah, I'll be alright. The rain isn't all that bad plus I'll be careful. I'll only be waiting a bit longer for a bus and it shouldn't take that long. Thanks for the offer though." He smiled, glossing over their slightly worried expressions.

"Well, okay then Wil. Just be careful okay? It's expected to get worse in just a bit." Niki simply said, offering Wilbur a small hug before briskly running towards her car as to not be stuck in the rain for too long.

"Ah well, you heard what the lady said. Just message one of us when you get home." Schlatt also turned to leave, giving him a small wave. He walked relatively calmly for someone without a hood in the rain. And Wilbur just swallowed down a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Well.  
He was alone now. He sighed, the white puff of his breath could be faintly seen with the sound of rain pelting against his light grey umbrella. Taking out his phone, he typed Techno a small _'omw'_ before he started to walk back out of the skatepark. The clouds made it seem so much darker than it actually was or at least he assumed that it wasn't that dark. He tucked his jacket closer to him as he walked across the field that was starting to get slightly flooded with a small squish against his shoes. Clearing his throat, his peripheral vision caught sight of that same playground. He stopped in his tracks, slowing down his speed his eyes looking over at the now soaked playground equipment.

He shouldn't. It's stupid and probably pointless and this was basically the perfect place to either get mugged or kidnapped. He knows that he shouldn't because Schlatt had already said that it was nothing of importance and that it was just a gross old playground. He stood there in front of it for a moment before knitting his eyebrows into a confused and slightly frustrated expression. Yes, he shouldn't, still, he dared to step against the woodchips that lined around the area, eyes peaking around in curiosity. He had a deep gut feeling that he was intruding on something.

"Hello?" He called out, his voice echoing a bit. He continued further down, the woodchips crunching lightly with each step. His breath whistled a bit, he cringed at that yet it didn't hurt just yet so he was grateful for that. It was just one quick look around to get his mind off of it and then he'd get on the bus on home then snuggle up into the warmth with some tea.

He pulled his scarf up to his nose and kept walking. Quiet. Quiet...

_crunch._

Wilbur sucked in a sharp breath before coughing into his shoulder. The tall boy had froze up and gripped his umbrella. That wasn't him. He slowly turned around and looked around, his dark brown eyes scanning the area. His eyes dilated out of fear, with his eyesight very suddenly meeting a different pair of wide ocean blue eyes. The other quickly looked away and ducked away from view. Wilbur could hear very faint and soft whispers from a younger voice directly under that same slide. He didn't know what he was doing. All that he knew that he was slowly starting to walk closer to the slide, the rain was heavy now and he hadn't seen anyone there beforehand. Stopping, he could hear the sound of teeth chattering. Teeth chattering. He bent down and slowly looked under the darkened part of the slide.

He absolutely hated how he froze again at the sight of a young boy, his eyes being the same ones that he had connected with before. The boy had to have at least been 8 maybe 9, his blonde hair sticking against his skin. He was very anemic and skinny, reminding Wilbur of himself before he had been taken in by Phil, his eyes were very dark yet had a light gloss over them with them rimmed with redness and puffiness as though he had been crying. He was barely wearing anything to keep himself warm besides a pair of dark brown fingerless gloves which he quickly held behind himself. Wilbur looked closer and saw thick bruising along his exposed arms and deep cuts as though he had been hit with something sharp. Some of the cuts were old while others looked a little too fresh for Wilbur's liking. The dark crimson red was carried away with the rain that fell.

He was absolutely not well equipped to handle this type of situation. "Hello there..." He very quietly spoke, the boy flinching and giving him a deep scowl as he backed up a bit. Wilbur didn't want to scare him even if he did look rather scary with his height. "I'm Wilbur... are you okay?" He asked, not exactly expecting an answer with how defensive the blonde seemed to be. "It's quite cold out don't you think?... and it's raining horrendously-"

"Listen I don't know who the fuck you think you are but I need you to leave us the fuck alone." The boy lashed out sounding exhausted and teary-voiced with how his voice would waver every so often despite the bite in his words.

Wilbur had not expected that, especially out of someone as young as he was. His mouth hung open for a moment before his mind caught back up. Us? He only then noticed a much smaller pair of hands grasping at the other's hand and shirt. He was much younger, around 5 or 6, and shorter with doe brown eyes, one of them much lighter and greyer than the other Wilbur had noticed. His dark brown hair messily sticking up with a much too large sweater on that didn't quite look like it belonged to him. The most notable things, however, was the large cut on his jaw that looked improperly cared for, the blood that was dried from his nose, and a thick purple ring around one of his eyes that looked like it was going to develop into a pretty nasty black eye.

"T...Tommy." The other whispered out, not looking directly at Wilbur yet even with the rain that rolled down he could still tell that the other was currently crying. Tommy only glared at Wilbur with hatrid and indifference, his grip on the dark-brunette's hand tightening a bit.

Wilbur took a moment to chose his next words very carefully now dealing with an entirely new situation with two young kids that he's never met before. It's raining, his lungs are going to cave in any moment, both of these boys were very clearly injured plus freezing, it was raining, the bus was going to be here any moment now. "I'm not here to hurt you two-"

"Oh yeah real fucking convincing there dickhead. We'll be fine on our own just go away!"

"-It's freezing out here and you both are injured. I'm not just going to leave a bunch of toddlers out in the rain." Wilbur bit back, knowing how things like this went. He wasn't going to get anywhere by being too nice yet he also didn't want to be too harsh. He doesn't know why they have injuries and why they're out here without their parents. "Listen, I don't know why you two are out here like this. I have a bus to take in less that 5 minutes but I'll 100% miss that bus if you two are just planning on staying out here getting sick." He said firmly a cough cutting off his next sentence for a brief moment. He composed himself and looked directly at them, Tommy was definitely not as defensive as before but still wary of Wilbur as the other looked out with curious eyes. "...I have a place that you two can stay in for the night. It's warmer than this shitstorm out here and you won't be freezing to death with open wounds."

Tommy looked at Wilbur with narrowed eyes, "How do I know that you aren't trying to just kidnap us or kill us for your sick twisted games?..."

"Tommy was it?" Wilbur said, watching as the other scowled and nodded sharply. He quickly pulled out his inhaler and pumped it twice before putting it back in his pocket. "I have asthma. What kind of kidnapper or serial killer has shit lungs? What the fuck am I gonna do, chase you until eventually my lungs give out? No I'm not trying to trick you into anything. I swear on my life." He said with all seriousness.

The much shorter one tugged at Tommy's shirt, "Tommy, _please_." his eyes were logged with tears, out of pain? relief maybe? it was hard to tell. Tommy's gaze however, softened a bit at the other as he took a deep breath and sighed. "Okay. Fine. But the moment me or Tubbo find anything wrong we're out."

Wilbur smiled and nodded, watching as the two very carefully peeled away from underneath the slide. He stept back a bit and stood up, making sure to keep the umbrella up and over them. Tubbo looked up at him with wide and curious eyes, most likely at how tall he was compared to himself as Tommy simply walked along side him, keeping distance between themselves with a slight limp that Wilbur was definitely going to need to have a look at when they got back home.

His eyes widened at the realization that _holy fuck you live with your dad and brother you dumb fuck why are you taking children from the playground home with you isn't that illegal?_

Techno was going to kill him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EXTRA LONG CHAPTER TODAY (mostly because i did not give that double update like i said and also because I just kept going and could not stop)- I couldn't resist Tommy being a protective older brother to Tubbo trope. I needed it especially after what had gone down in the SMP. Tubbo was also not always planned to be apart of the family with the og plan being both Tommy and him just being good friends. Yet this exact thought and the ideas for this series of chapters plagued me and I could not resist it- 
> 
> also skater sapnap and bbh pog
> 
> ________
> 
> Follow my Twitter for polls on what comes next in the story, updates, q&as, and a lot more!!: @WallsCould_Talk


	10. Committing Unconventional Crime Pt 3.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flames that would flicker back and forth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Yelling, Arguments  
> CW: Tubbo doesn't do well with loud noises :((, Crying

It had been a long bus ride home, or at least it felt like that to Wilbur. It was bad enough that he had gotten one of those weird looks from the bus driver, who could blame em' he had walked on the bus paying for himself and two much more injured children, he also felt the heavy tension once they sat down. Tommy sat a good three seats away from Wilbur with his grip still tightly latched onto Tubbo.

The light on the bus had made it just a bit easier for Wilbur to get a better look at the two. He was right when he first looked at Tubbo's eyes, one of them was definitely a much lighter and greyed out tone compared to the other. He could also see some light yet visible scarring on the same side the wound was much much older and healed over by now. It still concerned him with how milky the eye looked since his other eye was an entire two shades darker of a brown. Tommy on the other hand was a different story. He was covered in small scratches and scars on his arms and legs with one large scar directly on top of his nose. He wasn't moving the leg he was previously limping on as much at the moment and it could only be assumed that he possibly twisted it from running.

Wilbur stopped his train of thought at that, not wanting to think about what he could've been running from.

The bus stopped very suddenly, making Wilbur realize that **he didn't have a fucking plan.** Which was fine he decided. Maybe Techno had decided to stay in his room and he would just have to lightly explain the situation to Phil. Then again he could've just called Phil and said it was an emergency…

Walking out of the bus first to open his umbrella, he waited for Tommy and Tubbo. It wasn't raining as hard but he had no idea how long they had been out there for and was already worried about them catching a cold. Tommy gently tugged Tubbo along as he splashed against the water that flooded the streets. Taking out his keys, he started walking towards the path to his house.

"Okay… Um. I'm going to need you two to stand close behind me if you can." The sudden fear that flickered in their expressions had him quickly scrambling for an explanation, "Nothing bad! It's just that I, uh, have a brother who I haven't explained the situation to yet."

"...You mean that you brought us here without a plan?" Tommy commented, openly calling Wilbur out.

"Well. Yeah? Kind of, I guess. Don't worry about it though, I got it." Wilbur said. He was unsure if he actually 'got it' but he didn't want to worry them.

"That's… that's fucking stupid but whatever." The blonde mumbled. He did have quite the mouth on him but scolding him wasn't his priority. Wilbur sighed walking up to the door. Techno was upstairs, it was fine. He kept telling himself as he unlocked the door. His heart sank when the doorknob jiggled and clicked open. Techno looked up at Wilbur with a slight quirk of a smile,

"You're back. I was afraid I was gonna have to call Dad to go get you." Techno teased a bit. Wilbur did not reciprocate with any snide comment, instead, he kind of stood there like a deer in headlights with his keys gripped in one hand.

"Uh… you good Wil?"

Techno hadn't noticed yet. He hadn't noticed the two smaller figures behind him with one of them, supposedly Tubbo, gripping onto his trench-coat very lightly. He swallowed harshly and gave a weak smile, "Yeah I'm fine, just chilly out."

The other blinked before narrowing his eyes, "Okay." Techno started. "...What are you hiding from me?"

Wilbur briefly forgot that 1, he couldn't lie to save his life and, 2, even if he could, Techno could pick apart his words like they were fine threads. "Nothing." He still fired back feeling a chill run up his spine, "Can I please come in now? My lungs hurt." There was far too much venom in that than he intended there too. It was half-true with his lungs stinging and wheezing every so often.

"Bullshit. What are you hiding?" Techno pushed on. He hated being lied to, especially by Wilbur of all people.

"Techno I'm not hiding anything now will you please just move!" Wilbur raised his voice out of frustration. He felt the hands gripping his coat flinch back a bit causing his words to get caught in his throat. Techno scowled, his eyes trailing down until they eventually stopped. Everything was stilled for a moment as Techno just stared at Tubbo with wide and confused eyes, his expression unrecognizable. Placing a firm hand on Tommy's back, Wilbur lightly pushed past his brother and led the two younger ones into the living room. Techno must have started the fireplace earlier since there was still a slight flame going through which caused the room to leak out warmth. Tommy brushed Wilbur's hand off of him with ease, Tubbo glancing at him for a moment in hesitation before he followed.

The door closed lightly, Techno turning around to face Wilbur's eyes still wide. "... What the hell was that Wilbur?..."

"Kids?"

"OH YOU DON'T SAY?" Techno shouted out before quickly taking a deep breath. "I want you to tell me that those aren't just random kids and that you're just babysitting."

"...Would you be mad if I said that I found them?" Wilbur asked although it was much more of a statement and even Techno knew that.  
"Where? Where did you find them, Wilbur?" Techno was very slow in his speech on the verge of just bursting out of frustration.  
"...The park. Specifically the playground area."

"And you decided to bring them here?" Techno was in disbelief, he hadn't even bothered letting him know and even then it was a stupid decision.  
"I… I acted at the moment. Besides, I didn't know what else to do! What was I supposed to do?"  
"Oh… I don't know, MAYBE CALL THE FUCKING POLICE?!"  
"Wha- YOU DON'T EVEN LIKE THE POLICE! I DON'T EVEN LIKE THE POLICE!"  
"I ALSO DON'T LIKE WHEN YOU BRING RANDOM KIDS IN THE HOUSE WILBUR! EVER HEAR OF CPS? MAYBE CALLING DAD OR TEXTING ME FIRST BEFORE YOU ACT?"

That soon had spiraled into a screaming match between the two brothers. Techno's face is red with how frustrated he was with Wilbur. It wasn't very often that they fought like this, Techno hated raising his voice and Wilbur didn't enjoy fighting in general.

Tommy was able to ignore it, he always was able to ignore these kinds of things fairly easily. Tubbo, however, was never able to get a good handle on that type of blissful ignorance. It started with light whimpers which didn't catch Tommy's attention at first. As the argument between Techno and Wilbur got more heated and personal, Tubbo had a much harder time keeping himself together as his hands instinctively raised to cover his ears in an attempt to block out the noise. He felt Tommy pull him into a light embrace, tears starting to flow freely from his eyes even if it hurt because he had been crying so much already. Tubbo hated how the sound of the loud thunderous boom of yelling crashed down against his chest making his heart speed up and his hands shake. Tommy was always there to try and calm him down but it was his fault for getting like this when it was clear that they weren't arguing about them in particular and it was more like the circumstances that led them there. Still, it hurt.

Wilbur and Techno were far too busy picking each other apart, their argument straying away a bit from the main issue. Tommy looked at them, staring bullets into their skulls, "Hello?" He said, trying to force himself into their conversation wanting them to stop being so loud. "Oi!" He called out again. No response.  
He cupped his hands against Tubbo's already covered ears and screamed from across the room, "OI DICKHEADS, WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Wilbur turned sharply to look at them, staring at Tommy with built-up anger that quickly was wiped away by the sound of light crying against Tommy's chest. Techno shut up instantly, not expecting that to come out of someone so young. Wilbur walked over to the living room and bent down to their level, eyes much softer than they had been previously. He reached out yet Tommy had quickly pulled them over closer to him and Wilbur couldn't blame him. So instead and spoke very softly, embarrassment was written all over his features over what he'd accidentally caused, "Hey Tubbo… it's okay. Techno and I just had a small disagreement… right?" He said looking over at Techno with an unpleasant expression. Techno snarled at him but stopped and nodded at the glare he had received. "You're okay, we'll stop. I'm sorry that happened guys." He said, apologizing.

Tubbo's crying died down, sniffles only being heard as he shakily spoke, "It's okay… sorry." Wilbur shook his head, "There's nothing to be sorry about Tubbo, I should've known better since I brought you two here." Tubbo didn't believe him yet he nodded still and just quietly shuttered a breath.

"You do that one more time I'll stab a bitch." Tommy threatened with clear malice. Wilbur laughed and sighed, "Noted. Take all the time you guys need. We won't shout anymore."

Wilbur gave a small pat to Tubbo's shoulder before tugging Techno into the hallway directly in front of the front door. "Techno I'm begging you, please."

Techno pinched the bridge of his nose, "Please what?"

"Please just help me explain this to Dad. I swear I'll do anything! You saw how scared Tubbo looked and how protective Tommy is, they've been through a lot and I don't wanna just throw them out." Wilbur whisper shouted under his breath.

"Wilbur this is a crime, you could go to jail for this if they just maybe ran from home! You're much older and it could be seen as kidnapping!" Techno said back, not being as good as Wilbur when keeping calm.

"I know. I know. But please!" Wilbur said, soon they started talking over each other once again and couldn't even hear when the front door opened a bit. "Dad's not even gonna get mad! Please!"

"Get mad at what?" A voice questioned, causing the two boys to pause their conversation and just stare at each other.

Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not them getting caught at the worst time- I was gonna have Wilbur actually physically comfort Tubbo but I feel as though they haven't established any form of trust between them quite yet so that'll be held off for a bit :))


	11. Committing Unconventional Crime Pt 4.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You did _what_ now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From the earth I rise and to the earth I one day will return, what's up motherchuckers !!
> 
> It's been a long while since I last updated this I know, I apologize greatly. Originally it was just going to be one Winter Break where I'd take some time off to compose myself and let out steam but of course life always has other plans. I really do apologize for this really late chapter though, I've just been dealing with a lot of stressful things and I hadn't had the time to properly sit down and update this. ((Minus the next 12 chapters I have a rough idea for wink wonk-)) But here's a new chapter!! I hope that this will make up for my absence and updates will now be back on track!! ❤
> 
> _______
> 
> TW: Small Arguments  
> CW: Tommy trusts much older parental figures even less.

Phil blinked at his two sons who looked at each other with such raw fear that it even worried himself for a moment. Work hadn't been the best time, he was exhausted and was extremely tense. They had apparently lost almost all of the files he had faxed through which messed up the entire system. Everyone was in shambles, he got yelled at almost more than once, not to say that he hadn't raised his voice a tad bit as well but it had frustrated him.

Maybe he had missed one of them calling him? He was sure that he had his phone on him at all times. Then again, knowing his boys, they most likely tried to handle whatever it was by themselves and he couldn't fault them if that was the case. Still if it was that bad that they even thought he'd get mad… He raised his eyebrow and coughed awkwardly.

"Is now a bad time?" He said smiling, trying to lighten the mood yet they both turned to him as if their brains were scattering for something, anything to tell him what had happened.

Wilbur was the first to crack, "Heyyy Dad…" He said smiling nervously. He was never good at lying so Phil couldn't wait to hear what he'd have to say. "Uh… how was your day at work?"

"It was okay. Not good, not bad, you know the drill. What about you? How was the park?" Phil eyed the two teenagers with confusion.

"It was...okay…" Wilbur said, not making full eye contact with Phil. Techno really wasn't much better, his honeydew brown eyes burning metaphorical holes into the maroon carpet. He hadn't known his boys to hide stuff from him even if something was incredibly wrong. Then again with the way Wilbur would tug nervously at his sleeves he didn't know the severity of it if they even thought he would get mad at them.

"Okay… Well I should probably go light up the fireplace since it's getting really chilly out-"

"I'll do it! You're, um, you're probably so tired from a long day and it wouldn't be an issue!" Wilbur interrupted his father, stepping directly in front of him to take his attention away from the living room, anything to make sure he didn't see.

The tension grew thickly, Phil furrowing his eyebrows together. He took a deep breath and softly exhaled, "You know I really wasn't planning on bringing up what you two were arguing about before I got inside but now I'm worried. Alright, fess up, what happened? What am I getting mad at?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all Dad! We were just… Talking about how I let the carpet get wet?" The brit tried explaining but was extremely unconvincing sounding with his brother looking over at him in disbelief and was completely dumbfounded over how bad of a liar Wilbur was.

It grew quiet. _Too quiet to be true._

A large clink along with soft shouty whispers, that did not at all sound like the person could actually whisper, could be heard from the living room. Phil shot his head up at that, and immediately looked back at his sons who had suddenly froze up as though they were deers in headlights that had been caught. Wilbur gulped and laughed a bit,

"Dad, I can explain." He started, but Phil was already on the move as he gently brushed past Wilbur. Techno followed after, grabbing Wilbur by the sleeve to drag him over.

"Phil, I promise you that this was entirely Wilbur's idea and fault, I had nothing to do with this-"

"What?! Techno I thought we were in this together-"

"I wasn't the one who brought toddlers from your little expedite-"

"Oh sure, now it's my fault-"

"THAT'S BECAUSE IT IS YOUR FAULT-"

Phil stod dead silent in the passageway into the living room. Mouth dry as the sound of his boy's bickering gets drowned out by the thoughts that are scrolling through his mind. Two extremely young boys sat close to the dying fireplace, the blond one holding the one of the tongs that they mainly used for cleaning up the debris inside. The brunette leaned quietly against the other, both were trembling lightly. Droplets of water soaked directly into the carpet but Phil wasn't too worried about that. He breathed out softly and slowly walked over to them, watching as the blond's head snapped to look directly at him, sky blue eyes meeting his dark ocean blue ones. If Phil didn't know any better he would've missed the flash of pure raw panic that seeped into the blond's expression before immediately putting on a cold and agitated face. The brunette looked over tiredly, clearly not in the best state with how he fought to keep his defense up.

"Hello…" Phil said, kneeling down to their level. Still letting there be some space between them since it was obviously clear that they were both on high alert.

"Who are you?" The blond said, one arm slung protectively around the other with his other unoccupied hand gripping tightly onto the tongs. It didn't bother Phil in the slightest, he was willing to get hurt if it meant knowing more about these boys that Wilbur had apparently brought home.

"I'm Phil. I'm those two's dad, you probably know Wilbur by now right?" He tried to keep his own voice low despite the fact that he can still hear said son's fighting it out in the kitchen where it was only slightly muffled.

The boy hesitated before simply giving a small nod, twitching a bit at the sound of Wilbur raising his voice just a tad too loud. Tommy knew that Tubbo was tired but he didn't want him waking up to some idiots arguing. Not again. "Yeah… could you tell them to shut the fuck up? It's getting real annoying and it's pissing me off."

Phil stopped at the language that came out of the younger's mouth. If it wasn't for the fact that they were both very on edge, he could've started laughing. Yet he gave a small nod and raised his voice a small bit in a warning type of tone, "Boys.", was all he had to say before it got dead quiet again. Wilbur and Techno slowly appeared against the doorway, staring at the scene with nervousness yet Phil couldn't help but notice a bit of pride on Wilbur's face. He couldn't be mad at him for this happening, he could definitely be upset that he hadn't thought about calling him before bringing these kids home with him but he couldn't even begin to get mad at him not when the tension cut at the air like a knife.

"Sorry about them… what was your name?" He asked, hoping to get a response out of him since the other was most definitely out of it.

"...None of your business old man." Tommy responded with a devious smile, despite being obviously not okay at all. Wilbur tried desperately to not laugh at that but he literally could not help it the moment he saw Techno put his head directly into his hands.

Phil narrowed his eyes and smiled a bit before shaking his head, "Alright I guess I deserved that one… Still you two must be cold." He stood up and glared mockingly at Wilbur who was shaking with laughter. "How about you wake your friend up and we can find you two something warmer? We can talk about this in the morning" He paused, making sure Wilbur knew why he had put emphasis on the morning part. "And I'm sure Wilbur will be fine with you two sleeping in his room for tonight, isn't that right Wilbur?"

Techno laughed which was met with a light punch to his shoulder. Phil walked over to Wilbur who whispered lightly, "Why my room again?"

"Because you're the one who brought them here plus they're undoubtedly going to be very sick and stuffy from the rain tomorrow. You'll be fine sleeping on the couch for tonight unless you want to bunk with Techno." Phil offered with an eyebrow raise.

Wilbur immediately shook his head, "No, no, couch is fine, at least the unlit fireplace doesn't snore loud." And that was his turn for an even harder punch to his shoulder met with a light hiss. "I'm only spreading the truth." Techno huffed in response and crossed his arms.

"Alright then, it's settled. I'll go get the clothes and towels, show them your room Wilbur." Phil smiled, patting their shoulders gently before wandering off.

Wilbur and Techno both let out a sigh of relief they didn't know they had been holding before giving each other a knowing look.

"Alright brats, meet and greet with the old man Phil is over, come on." Wilbur motioned upon noticing that Tommy had woken Tubbo back up, much to his dissatisfaction.

"But it's so cold!" Tubbo whined tiredly, leaning forward a bit. 

Tommy shivered, "Yeah bitch! It's freezing!"

"You really do have a mouth on you." Techno commented, walking forward a bit towards his own room.

"Yeah, yeah, we're getting you some things, come on I'll show you two to my room just don't touch anything." Wilbur smiled a bit at them, waiting for them to follow behind. Tubbo grabbed very lightly onto Tommy's wrist as they followed Wilbur down the hall and into the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rip wilbur soot banished to the couch for his crimes-
> 
> Anyway, thank you guys for sticking around I promise that I'll keep these updates consistent again unless something comes up!! Will absolutely have a new poll set up for a future chapter so keep an eye on my twitter (Cough- @WallsCould_Talk on twitter dot com COUGH) for any updates/polls/etc.


	12. Sunlight Patched Along Bruised and Sick Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a bad case of the sniffles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //Cw: Bruises and Scrapes (nothing too graphic but just in case :])

The sun danced along partially closed blinds, a warmth drowning the house in an amber flare. The rain had stopped somewhere in the night with the traces of it being left behind were the slight leak in one corner of the house that Techno absolutely hated looking at because it would create an ugly patch on the wall and two young boys that were tangled in each other's embrace.

Tubbo was the first one to wake, his eyes cracking open a bit before instantly wincing at the sun that shone past the curtains. He turned his head a bit to the side to look at Tommy who was still sound asleep, his quiet breathing being layered with a slight wheeze. Tubbo smiled at that for a moment.

Just for a moment before he paused and realized that they were sleeping on a bed and- where were they again? It was a horrifying realization that had Tubbo sit up a bit too quickly for his body's own liking. God he felt like shit.

It took him a moment for his body to compose itself from the sudden movement. His eyes glanced over to a framed photo hanging on the wall next to a plant in a small vase. Right. So that wasn't a dream he had. He sniffled and rubbed out the sleep in his eyes, the sleeves of the pajamas that Phil had handed them being far too long even if they were rolled up. He didn't want to go out without Tommy, yet he didn't want to wake the other up either, not when he obviously hadn't slept in so long.

Soft whispers echoed down the stairs with a warm scent of coffee and cooking enveloping Tubbo's currently messed up senses. Maybe it was okay to come down without Tommy? He hummed in disagreement with his thoughts yet his stomach growled causing him to pause and sigh to himself. He looked back at the blond for a brief moment before hopping out of bed, feeling the wooden floors creak under the pressure. Shuffling quietly, he opened the bedroom door slowly and carefully before walking down the hall.

He stopped for a moment in front of the stairs before he grabbed the railing and carefully stepped down. Stumbling a bit on his own two feet, he followed the sound of voices and slowly peaked past the doorway.

"-Dad I'm telling you I don't know where they came from nor how long they must've been there for." Wilbur spoke, concern evident in his voice.

"And I'm glad that you got them out of the rain but what you did is also illegal Wilbur." Phil responded, his back turned to finish up breakfast. Illegal? Didn't that mean something bad? Tubbo didn't want Wilbur to get into trouble because of them.

"Well… What now?"  
"What now is that we're going to have to call someone. They're both still minors and we don't even know if they're runaways either-"

"-With their condition I really doubt it dad. You saw their injuries and no matter how clumsy and frankly stupid a kid can get I'm not buying that they were the ones who caused that type of damage to themselves." Techno's voice suddenly rang out.

"I understand that Techno , that still doesn't mean that I'm not going to call someone."  
"...Dad."  
"Yeah Wil?"  
"You aren't going to send them into the system… are you?"  
"...I'm-" Phil was briskly cut off by the sound of a small sneeze in the doorway. All three of them turn their heads to look at the small brunette who's eyes glanced over with curiosity and slight fear. Phil's gaze softened and he gave a small polite smile at Tubbo.

"Good morning… Tubbo was it?" Phil said watching as the former gave a small nod. "Wilbur told us both of your names, I hope you don't mind." Wilbur gave a small wave in Tubbo's direction, elbowing Techno to wave as well when he avoided eye contact. Phil rolled his eyes at them playfully before placing a small bowl and plate at the table. "It's just some oatmeal and eggs with some strawberries on the side, something light on the stomach." Phil motioned to the seat towards Tubbo.

Tubbo's eyes widened a bit at the implications of Phil inviting him over to the table. He froze for a moment before cautiously walking into the kitchen with another sniffle. He felt eyes staring at him, and he didn't enjoy that, no not at all. This was probably a bad idea. His eyes flickered over to the only person he actually knew which was Wilbur. The other brunette smiled softly and nodded a bit as a form of comfort. Tubbo slowly sat down in the seat and leaned over to take a small sniff of the food. Yes he was stuffy but it did smell warm which was good enough for his stomach to growl in contentment. He took a chance, picking at the strawberries and chewing them slowly and cautiously.

It was fine. It was good? Tubbo blinked before practically starting to scarf down the food in front of him, not even stopping when Phil gave a light chuckle.

Techno narrowed his eyes and took a sip of the energy drink next to him before looking down at the laptop in front of him, clearly typing something. It felt strange having this random kid across from him and it certainly did not help his anxiety in the slightest of new people. The pinkette almost missed the mismatched eyes looking over at him- well not exactly at him more like the energy drink on the side of him. He looked over, pushing his reading glasses off before noticing that the kid was staring at the designs on the side of the Monster can while chewing on strawberries and oatmeal. He tried ignoring it but it was hard to not say anything.

"...You want some?" He found himself saying which was absolutely such a dumb question to ask and he winced upon realizing such the moment Tubbo looked away with embarrassment and fear.

Wilbur's eyes widened with disbelief, Phil stopping in his actions to look back at Techno looking like he was going to burst out laughing any second. Wilbur turned to him and just shuttered a small, "He's a child, Techno."

"...In my defense I didn't know what I was supposed to say." Techno closed his laptop and rubbed his temple before downing the rest of the can.

Phil wheezed out a small laugh before leaning over to take the can and throw it away, "Okay I think that's enough energy drinks for today Techno."  
Tubbo gave a small smile at that before finishing his plate. "Thank you" he managed to mumble out, his voice being a bit raspy.

Looking down, Phil smiled softly, "Of course Tubbo." It took a moment before he slowly reached out to touch Tubbo's forehead. He wasn't expecting the boy to flinch back as much as he did. It was concerning. Yet what was even more concerning was how hot his forehead was and he had no doubt that Tommy was the same way. Phil's smile melted away into a small frown before he turned towards the cupboards and pulled out a small medicine bottle filled with cough syrup. Pouring a bit into a small measuring cup he placed it in front of Tubbo with a bottle of water.

"It's cherry flavored but the water's there just in case you don't like it." Phil said sitting down next to Wilbur. Tubbo wrinkled his nose at it but decided that it was better than feeling like this all day. He drank it with ease, wincing at the bitter flavor of the medicine but washed it down with the water.  
Phil wanted to ask questions. He really did but he didn't know if someone as young as Tubbo was would even want to give him an answer. There was no trust between them yet and Phil didn't want to push. He looked up at his two sons, Techno was obviously uncomfortable but still sat there at the table and Wilbur, well, Wilbur kept glancing over at Tubbo who was now staring out the window with wide curious eyes. Bruises traced the boy's face, his hand lined with small scrapes from the outside world. It was still for a moment. A moment broken by a door slam from upstairs along with the panicked voice of another child echoing into the hallways and down the stairs.

"TUBBO?!" Tommy shouted out, his voice hoarse and raspy most likely from being sick. Tubbo on the other hand immediately perked up at his name being called by the other and scooted out of the chair to the front of the staircase.

"M' downstairs!" He called out in a much calmer tone than Tommy. Immediately the sound of quickening footsteps could be heard down the stairs.

"Don't run down the stairs!" Phil found himself lightly scolding. He could hear Tommy's footsteps hesitate for just a moment before running down the rest of the way and pulling Tubbo into his arms.

"Don't you fucking do that again! You scared me!" Tommy mumbled which only received a laugh from Tubbo in return.  
"I'm fine Tommy! Just a little sick." Tubbo spoke, his nose definitely stuffy. "Oh, um, there's some food at the table if you want any."  
"...Have you eaten yet?" Tommy asked first off. Wilbur was closest to the stair and had to physically restrain himself from awwing at that because he will not be bested by two children. Even then it was not exactly normal per say for someone Tommy's age to be worrying about someone else.  
Maybe he was looking too far into it and seeing himself in these kids.  
Tubbo nodded quickly and pulled away to grab Tommy by the sleeve and drag him into the kitchen.

Techno only watched quietly as Wilbur stared at the two kids he brought home.  
"You have such a bleeding heart dude."

Wilbur's eyes flickered to Phil who was currently now dealing with Tommy demanding to be fed.  
"Yeah. It runs in the family."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the ending seemed a bit rushed!! I was busy all day with school work plus I also wanted to keep into the pattern of interludes before real shit goes down.- either way I hope you enjoyed this bit of soft content!!! Also I know more clifhangers but I promise it'll be worth it!


	13. AN: Not A Chapter !!!

Hey guys !! This'll be deleted in the next few hours but I wanted to let you know the next chapter is gonna take a bit to come out (and not because of school/life this time :]) I've decided to make it much and I mean MUCH more longer than my previous one's since the next chapter covers some pretty heavy stuff.

(On the subject of heavy stuff, I would recommend reading carefully when the next chapter DOES come out because again it does cover some heavy topics of discussion)

So no I'm not taking another long break, it'll probably be out in a day or two depending on how much longer I chose to make it. In other news I will be posting art references for the family on my Twitter (@WallsCould_Talk) so that's something to be excited about !!

Again this will be deleted in a few hours I just wanted to let ya'll know !! :]


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